A Src-family-tyrosine kinase, Lyn, is required for efficient IFN-beta, expression in pattern recognition receptor, RIG-I, signal pathway by interacting with IPS-1

Retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) plays an important role in antiviral immunity as a cytosolic receptor recognizing invading viruses. The activation of downstream signaling pathways led by IFN-beta promoter stimulator-1 (IPS-1), an adaptor, is known to culminate in the activation of IRFs and the expression of type I interferons. However, the role of Src-family-tyrosine kinases (STKs) in the RIG-I signaling pathway has not been fully evaluated. Through a combined approach of immunoprecipitation and micro reversed phase liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (RPLC-MS/MS) analysis, we established that Lyn, one of the STKs, is associated with RIG-I in macrophages. The association of Lyn and RIG-I was confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation study with 293T cells overexpressing Lyn and RIG-I. Suppression of Lyn by siRNA knockdown or a pharmacological inhibitor (PP2) resulted in the attenuation of IRF3 activation and IFN-beta expression induced by short poly I:C, a RIG-I agonist, in macrophages. Lyn activation, as determined by phosphorylation of Tyr396 residue, was observed upon short poly I:C stimulation in the mitochondria of macrophages. Short poly I:C induced the formation of speckle-like aggregates of Lyn, which are prominent in mitochondria. Lyn associated with IPS-1, an adaptor protein of RIG-I, which resides on mitochondria membrane. Helicase domain of RIG-I and CARD of IPS-1 are responsible for the interaction with Lyn while SH3 and SH2 domains in Lyn are required for the association with RIG-I and IPS-1. Collectively, our results indicate that Lyn plays a positive regulatory role in RIG-I-mediated interferon expression as a downstream component of IPS-1. They provide further information as to how tyrosine kinases such as STKs play a role in the regulation of antiviral immunity. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.We thank Sun Myung Joung, Min Jin Kim, and Sang Hyeon Yeon for their technical assistance. This study was supported by a grant from the National R&D Program for Cancer Control, Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea (No. 1120120), a grant from the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Korean government (No. 2012R1A1A3004541), and the Research Fund, 2012 of the Catholic University of Korea